Althea's POV
I awake with a jolt. My body is sore and my eyes feel dry as the environment and situation rush back to mind. Men are starting to unlock us from the wall. Lucy, Eustace, and I are the first and only ones to be taken away from all the other prisoners. They lead us away to a wooden stage that was set up in the middle of the courtyard overnight. Men have gathered around in front of it waiting for the biding of people to begin. I'm forced up on stage first, standing on a small box next to the gaudy man from before. A few people in the crowd whoop and holler at me but I do my best not to react. Everyone starts yelling numbers and talking over each other.
"Now now gentlemen. Let's start the bid at 100." I almost feel like laughing from the fact that he addressed them as 'gentlemen' when that clearly is not the case.
"120!"
"150!"
"200!"
The crowd goes quiet for a few seconds.
"Do I hear 210?" The gaudy man yells. "Come on. She's a lovely specimen."
I feel like I'm going to vomit. The way they talk about humans as if they're animals is revolting. My hands grow cold and sweaty as I shift nervously between feet on the stage, the silence dragging on for what feels like an eternity.
"215." A short, heavy-set man shouts as he moves through the crowd to the front.
"Sold!" The gaudy man hangs a wooden sign around my neck that has 'sold' written across it. He pulls me off the box and shoves me across the stage. I'm forced down the stairs to the man who just bought me. He wraps a hand around my chained wrists and yanks me towards a small payment desk as Lucy is brought on stage next.
"100 for the little lady." A rather creepy-looking man says, who I'm pretty sure bid on me too.
"120!"
"150!"
"Any more bids?" When no one else says anything, he hangs an identical sign around her neck too. She's shoved next to me just as the short man finishes paying.
"These were found on her person." The seller says, pushing forward my dagger set.
"Keep them, she won't be needing them." He grabs a hold of my shackles again and leads me into the crowd of bidders, watching Eustace being brought up next.
"And now, for this fine young lad."
The crowd murmurs at Eustace standing there awkwardly.
"Who'll kick off the biding? Come on now. He may not look like much but uh he's strong." The gaudy man says, squeezing Eustace's arm.
"He's strong alright, smells up the rear end of a minotaur." The short man yells, moving towards the front of the crowd again, pulling me behind him.
"That is an outrageous lie!" Eustace shouts. He has guts, I'll give him that much. "I won the school hygiene award two years running."
"Come, won't someone make a bid?" The man yells again.
"I'll take them off your hands... I'll take them all off your hands." A very familiar voice calls from directly behind me. I look back and the hood of the man flips off to reveal Reepicheep and Drinian. "For Narnia!"
More Narnians yank off their cloaks and start attacking the slave traders. I twist my arm free from my buyer and Drinian knocks him out with the handle of his sword.
"Unlock yourself." He says, tossing me a ring of keys then jumping back into the battle. I climb on the stage and start to free Eustace first, then myself. I go to help Lucy and in the two seconds my back is turned, Eustace disappears. Lucy's hands are already free and she spins around hitting a man in the face with a large book. I swipe my daggers off the desk and sprint over to the wall where others are chained up, doing my best to avoid pairs of people locked in combat.
"Pass the keys around, I'll cover you." I hand them to a faun and turn back to the battle. A man charges at me clumsily and I duck under his curved sword. He cries out as I kick his legs out from under him. He tries to stand back up but the now free faun tackles him. The villagers run out of their homes and start helping us fight, using pots and pans to defend their city.
I hear a scream, a man falls off one of the little huts. Caspian jumps down behind him, landing a solid hit to his face and he falls unconscious. Two more men jump down behind him, but Caspian is weaponless. I break into a sprint, forcing my legs to go faster than they have in a long time as they corner him against the wall. I real back my arm and throw one of the daggers as hard as I can. It lodges in the back of the man to the left and he falls forward his sword clattering to the ground. Caspian lunges forward, pulling my dagger free from the now dead man, using it to block the last man's blow. He's on the ground next to his comrade in a matter of seconds.
The sounds of battle fade into loud cheers, the people now liberated from their captors. Relief floods my body as Caspian gets closer, seemingly unharmed. I spent the whole night worrying about him and what they could possibly be doing, but he pulls me into his arms and all that worry slips away. I cling to him as he does me, both of us just relieved and happy that the other is alright. We pull away too quickly for my liking but Drinian is approaching, weapons cradled in his arms.
"We found these, your majesty." He says, holding out Caspian's sword.
"Thank you Drinian," Caspian says, patting him on the back.
Edmund and Lucy are embracing a few feet away but there's an older man I've never seen before. His beard is long and grey matching his knarled hair making him look several years older than he actually is. He catches me staring and his face molds into something like recognition. He keeps looking at me as if he's known me his whole life, I feel uncomfortable and naturally step closer to Caspian. I lose sight of the man as the townspeople crowd around us, bringing forth baskets and bags full of various food and fish to thank us.
Caspian graciously accepts a quarter of the gifts presented, insisting that the people use the rest for themselves. We parade back through the streets we were once chained to, but this time in celebration, bright pink flower petals are showered on us from the taller buildings as people line the streets cheering even louder than before.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" A man breaks free from the crowd, heading straight for Caspian. I step in front of him, my hand resting on the hilt of my dagger but Drinian gets to him first, firmly holding him back from getting any closer. "My wife was taken just this morning." He says desperately, a little girl chasing after him calling 'daddy' over and over again.
"It's alright Drinian," Caspian says, and he lets the man pass, albeit hesitantly.
"I beg you, take me with you." He pleads. I move out of the way, staying next to Lucy as the man continues to explain his situation.
"I want to come." The little girl cries, tugging on his father's sleeve.
"No Gael, stay here with your aunt." He says, pushing her away and turning back to Caspian. "I'm a fine sailor, been on the seas my whole life."
"Of course, you must." Caspian grips his shoulder comfortingly. The man nods gratefully and finally gives his attention to his daughter.
"If I ever not come back." He says and gives her a short hug. "Now be good."
He pushes her again, this time into the arms of another woman, her aunt. She looks like she's going to cry but we all keep walking.
When we reach the docks, Eustace is sitting in one of the longboats looking terrified. The gaudy man from before, who appeared to be the leader of this operation, is trying to climb out of the water with one hand while the other clutches his bloodied-up forehead. Drinian yanks him out of the sea, dispatching him to his soldiers to deal with. The old man that was with Caspian earlier appears again, holding up a dirt-caked sword that looks hundreds of years old.
"My King. My King." He calls, holding it out to Caspian as he gets closer. "This was given to me by your father. I hid it safely in a cave, all these years."
"That's an old Narnian sword," Edmund says.
"It's from your golden age." The man explains. "There are seven such swords. A gift from Aslan to protect Narnia. Your father entrusted them to us... Here, take it." His ancient eyes shift to me, that odd expression covering his face again. "And may it protect you."
Caspian takes it and all the people start cheering again. "Thank you, my lord. And we shall find its lost sisters."
We start to head for the longboats again when the lord grabs my arm.
"It is you." He mutters.
"Uh, sorry. You have me confused with someone else." I pull my arm away and quickly walk away before he can say anything else. I pass Edmund who's holding the old sword now and climb into the boat next to Caspian.
"Who is that old man?" I ask.
"That's Lord Bern," Caspian says. I look at him expecting him to explain more but he doesn't. "I'm sorry. I should've been honest with you earlier instead of lying. Please forgive me." He says quiet enough so that I'm the only one who heard him.
His eyes are locked on his folded hands and won't meet mine. If they did I would see regret and a hint of shame. I glance around to see if anyone's looking at us, but all their backs are turned away. I steer his face to look at me and surprise dances on his features as I give him a quick kiss.
"Of course, you are forgiven," I say. His lips press into a small smile, a short laugh escaping from between them.
For the rest of the boat ride, he discretely holds my hand, playing with my fingers occasionally when no one's looking. When we board the ship Edmund gathers all the men around, telling a story about the green mist and how it swallowed up a boat of people. His wild explanation reminds me of my aunt. In all the mess of slave-traders and being sold, I completely forgot about her. I mentally curse myself before turning to Caspian.
"Do you think my aunt was sold?" I ask him.
He doesn't answer immediately, pondering my question for a few seconds. "I don't think so. Her name was scribbled out, not crossed out like the others, and I don't recall there being a price written either."
"Was she fed to the mist then?" My heart starts to race as I wait for his answer.
"I don't see what else could've happened." He says, empathy overflowing from his gaze. A lump rises in my throat that takes several moments for me to swallow. I sit down on the closest crate and take a deep breath.
"I will do everything in my power to find her, I promise." He says, kneeling in front of me.
A smile pulls at my mouth that I don't shy away from. "Thank you."
~~~
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